Families staying longer in Durham homeless shelter system

Local shelters at 83-per cent occupancy on average night

A new report from the Region says the average length of stay for families increased to 35 days in 2013 from 20 days in 2012.

Diana Chappell, the Region’s manager of affordable housing and homelessness initiatives, says there are complex reasons for the change, but a main one is lack of available rentals.

“The vacancy rate has fallen, there are fewer apartments and more competition,” she says, noting shelter clients may also be dealing with bad credit and other financial struggles, which could make them less attractive to a landlord.

Durham currently has 93 beds available for homeless individuals and families.

That includes 40 beds for single men at Cornerstone Community Association in Oshawa, 40 beds for women and children at Muslim Welfare Home in Whitby and 13 beds for youth at Joanne’s House in Ajax.

None of the shelters is able to accept fathers with children or opposite sex couples with children. Those families are referred to motel rooms through one of the shelters, with funding provided by the Region.

There is no cap on how long people can stay in shelters or the motel program.

“We want people to be re-housed as quickly as possible, but we also want them to be stable,” Ms. Chappell says.

In 2013, 1,314 Durham households accessed shelters, up from 1,232 the year before.

Only about 100 of those were families -- single people make up roughly 95 per cent of shelter users in Durham.

That statistic also comes back to vacancy rates, as there is a specific shortage of one-bedroom and bachelor apartments in Durham.

Ms. Chappell says it’s crucial to create more affordable housing, which is one of the issues addressed in the Region’s new 2014-2024 housing plan.

The draft version of At Home in Durham has been approved by regional council and sent to the Province for review and comment. It is expected to be finalized in May.

Examples of proposed actions include developing an eviction prevention program for the Durham Regional Local Housing Corporation, identifying any surplus property owned by the Region that could be used to develop affordable housing and leveraging provincial and federal funding to offer rent assistance to low-income households.

Durham’s average nightly shelter occupancy rate was 83 per cent in 2013, up from 76 per cent in 2012.

There were also several nights where the shelters were at maximum capacity.